#MacallanTO “Too Much Of Anything Is Bad, But Too Much Of A Good Whisky Is Barely Enough”

On November 24th, I along with my friend J.R., arrived at 99 Sudbury St in Toronto for an event known as ‘Celebrate The Macallan in Toronto’, the Twitter hashtag for the evening was #MacallanTO. The event was put on by Matchstick Inc and The Macallan Scotch Whisky and was hosted by Marc Laverdiere, a Scotch Ambassador for The Macallan and a man who knows his whisky! If you’re reading Marc’s name and wondering, I will be the first to say that I was pretty surprised he was French too, I honestly was expecting a Scot to be guiding us through our tasting experience. I assure you, however, Marc was more than up to the task.

The Mark Twain quote in the title sums up my feelings on a good single malt scotch even prior to this event. I’ve always been a fan of a good single malt since I first discovered it in my younger years. (Ya, I am being vague on the year on purpose. Put it this way, I’m 29 and I have been drinking scotch for well over a decade.) I was extremely excited to have this opportunity to really learn about one of the finest single malts I have ever tasted and the proper way to enjoy it.

Pro Tip: When you want to smell a scotch do it with your mouth slightly open – it makes a surprising world of difference!

When we got to the event site we were immediately given a special The Macallan coin to be used in exchange for our first taste of The Macallan for the evening, The Macallan Fine Oak 10 Years Old. As well, there was a very nice selection of cheeses and meats available to pair with the different variations of The Macallan we were to try that night but, alas, except for a pairing with chocolate, this was forgotten – although I did attempt to do some pairing myself.

Cheeses & Meats

When we were told it was time to go into the presentation room I quickly found my friends Jordana (@JordanaStein) and Zeke and we sat down at tables where, over the course of the next 45 minutes, we were given a sample to taste of:

The Macallan Sherry Oak 12 Years Old

The Macallan Fine Oak 15 Years Old

The Macallan Sherry Oak Cask Strength (paired with dark chocolate)

The Macallan Sherry Oak 18 Years Old

Each of the above which was delicious in its own right. Also, each of them was introduced with an amazing video of all the things that had been going on in the world when it was from. That trip down memory lane was absolutely amazing and I think from here on out I will always try to remember the world as it was when that scotch began its maturation process. Once Marc had imparted some of his whisky knowledge to me and the rest of the crowd I wished that I could go back and retry the 10 Year Old I had been given earlier upon entering it and properly enjoy it with my new enhanced Scotch tasting & appreciating abilities.

With J.R. right after we had the 10 Years Old but before we got our learn on with Marc

Until that evening I was always a believer in the words of Joe E. Lewis, “Whenever someone asks me if I want water with my Scotch, I say I’m thirsty, not dirty.” Oh how wrong I (and he) was! Marc showed us how one of the big mistakes people make when they are trying to look like “aficionados” is that they use tap water in their scotch which has chemicals that completely ruin the taste. Instead, I learned to use spring water (some was provided) and I can honestly say I will never quote Mr. Lewis again; able comedian though he was, he had no idea what he was talking about when it came to Scotch Whisky!

A big thank you goes out to The Macallan and to Eric Allen & Matchstick for inviting me to this event. All in all, it was a great event which I really enjoyed and if you’re a fan of single malt scotch whisky and you’ve never tried The Macallan I highly recommend you do.

Left Pic: Me, J.R., & Zeke. Right Pic: Zeke & Jordana. In the LEFT PIC You can also see the big boxed up bottle of The Macallan Fine Oak 10 Years Old that Zeke won & the smaller bottle of The Macallan Fine Oak 10 Years Old which I won.